Butterfly Effect
by THTmana
Summary: If anything, I didn't really expect to do much in this world. Maybe I could have had an influence or made a difference, or maybe I could have let the story continued uninterrupted. What I didn't expect was ending up as the father and teacher of a little lady who just happens to be the vessel of the Fell Dragon.
1. Chapter 1

**Something that has been on my mind for a while, I'm a new writer so feel free to give me feedback.**

* * *

" _What is going on here?"_

I remembered coming home after a day of work and heading right to bed. So why does it feel like my room is so bright and why is it so hot? Opening my eyes, my vision was a little blurry at first, but after I got my bearings I glanced around.

" _This is definitely not my bed nor my room. Where am I exactly?"_

Looking around, my back was up against a dead tree surrounded by sand on all sides.

"This must be a dream…" I muttered quietly.

Suddenly, I heard a loud growl nearby, quickly standing up, I saw what looked to be a wolf glaring at me with a hungry gaze. It must have snuck up on me when I wasn't looking. Frozen for a second, the wolf just stared at me before charging right at me. I tried jumping to the side, but immediately felt a sharp pain on my arm and saw a trickle of blood.

" _Alright this is not a dream. That scratch actually hurt and this wolf is out to get me, I need to do something about this."_

Looking at the wolf again, I tried to weigh my options. Looking at what I have on me, a wallet and a small pocket knife were all that I had on me. Although I am in decent shape, I don't know if I can handle fighting against a wolf, but at the very least I can defend myself with this.

The wolf seemed to smirk at the knife I pulled out, most likely thinking that I was easy prey. It charged at me again and I tried swiping once, but I missed by a mile and the wolf was rewarded with another cut to my side this time.

" _Shit this isn't working, the wolf is way to fast for me to hit normally. I need to find a way to distract him and get a good hit in."_

As if noticing my inner turmoil, the wolf was quick to go in again. I stuck out my arm to defend myself and the wolf was happy to oblige by biting into it. I yelled out from pain, but seeing the wolf stuck to my arm, I saw my moment and rammed my knife right into the wolf's eye. It howled in pain, but I pulled out the knife and continued to stab the wolf until it stopped moving. I gasped in pain as I pried my arm away from the wolf's jaws.

" _Well that could have gone better, but at least I'm still alive."_

While thinking to myself, I heard a noise in the distance, it sounded like a pair of footsteps. Looking around, I saw two men running over the dunes.

"Hey boy are you alright?" a voice yelled over the distance.

I can only raise my good arm tiredly and sat back down, tired from the earlier events.

Once they were a bit closer, I got a better look at the two men. The one who called earlier, was an older looking man sporting a tunic and short pants. The man next to him definitely looked like a fighter, he had his hand on a sheathed sword and had armor covering his chest and arms.

 _"These two are dressed kind of strangely, did I end up near a convention or something?"_

"What happened to you lad?" The older man said while glancing at the wolf and my bloodied arm.

"I am not sure exactly, I went to sleep last night and suddenly woke up here so I am not exactly sure what is going on. I just got attacked by the wolf and had to defend myself." I said, pointing to the wolf and my knife.

"You look like you got put through the wringer kid," the fighter stretched his hand out to help me up. "The name is Gerald, I happened to be helping this old geezer get his merchandise to the next village." The man laughed loudly.

"Old Geezer! I'll have you know that the great merchant Merlinus, not some bumbling old geezer." Merlinus spouted off.

"Sure sure, whatever you say boss. Let's get you patched up kid, I have an extra vulnerary you can use here" Gerald exclaimed while pulling out what looked like a water pouch.

" _Vulnenary? That sounds familiar. Wait, it can't be possible right?"_

"Thanks." I took the pouch gratefully and drank it. It was a pretty bitter, but I felt my arm getting better and saw that the scratches from earlier were gone with the exception of a small line indicating they were ever there. "If you don't mind me asking, but where am I exactly?" I asked, hoping that they weren't going to say what I think they were.

"The heat must have gotten to you lad, but that's understandable. We are currently on route to the village of Obum near the outskirts of Plegia." Merlinus explained. "If you would like, we are already on the way to the village and we can take you along with us so that you can get your bearings straight my boy."

" _So, it is true, I seemed to have been transported into the Fire Emblem world..."_

"I would appreciate that if you two don't mind" I smiled. Based on Merlinus's statement, it looked liked this was the world of Awakening. Hopefully I will be able to get some more information on where I am exactly in regards to the timeline and work from there.

"Shouldn't be a problem kid, but before we head out, I don't think we caught your name. Probably don't want us calling you kid the whole trip there hahaha!" Gerald said while patting my shoulder.

" _My name… these two look trustworthy and it should be fine to give them my real name."_

"My name is Terry, it is nice to meet you two, I probably would have been lost out here without your help." I said, scratching my head.

"No worries, my boy, let us be off then!" Merlinus exclaimed while walking back over the dune.

Following them, I saw that there was a large cart already set to the side along a wide road.

" _You mean I was literally a dune away from the main road? Talk about good luck I guess."_

Sitting in the cart, I mulled over what my plan should be. I had no idea where I am in regards to the actual storyline, but since this is Plegia, I can probably get a good idea of their relations with Ylisse and work from there. While thinking, my thoughts were broken by a gruff voice to my side.

"By the way Terry, I noticed that you did not look like a Plegian nor like the Ylisseans across the border. Are you from Ferox maybe?" Gerald asked while walking beside the cart.

" _What should I say here, I don't think I can fit in as a Feroxi warrior…"_

"I am not entirely sure, since I was originally an orphan but I heard that my parents were from Valm." I said, lying through my teeth.

"Oh, Valm huh…" Gerald said while rubbing his chin. "I heard that the Valmese warriors were a fierce bunch. "From the looks of that wolf earlier, you looked like you have some good wits about you, I know a person in Obum that could give you a few pointers. Can't let that possible talent go to waste Terry."

"Uh I don't know about that, I only have a little bit of training with a knife as self-defense but have never really been trained for combat." I said.

"Nonsense my boy, it is never a problem to have more training, especially with these troubling times ahead of us." Merlinus exclaimed.

"Troubling times?"

"Yes, it seems that a new king of Plegia has recently been announced, they call him Gangrel. I have not heard much about him, but they say he rose through the ranks quickly through cold-hearted treachery and brutality. I fear that there are dark times ahead for Plegia if he is the one who will lead this country." Merlinus stated solemnly.

"Aye, although the man may be a good fighter, his heart is as black as the Plegian nights and not nearly as calming." Gerald said, scratching his head in thought.

" _So Gangrel just became king, the game never really talked about when the man himself began to lead Plegia, but at the very least, there must still be some time before the main storyline begins then."_

"If that is the case, maybe I should try to keep myself well trained for the future then." I noted. Glancing to Merlinus, it seemed that he was pleased with my decision and Gerald simply laughed.

Once we reached the village, Merlinus stated that he had to meet with the local merchants in order to stock up and move his wares. Glancing around, although they called it a village, Obum looked to be a decently sized town with various people walking along the main roadway. Gerald sitting next to me patted my shoulder and said to meet him at the pub once I finished any tasks I wanted to get done. I appreciated the gesture and waved him off as he melded into the crowd.

"I guess the first order of business would be possibly trying to gather some more information about the state of Plegia from the townsfolk"

I asked around, but for the most part, the gossip seemed to be focused on the new king and his affiliation with the Grimleal and the following of Grima.

"Aye, the new king looks and acts like a dastard, but if he gets the job done, so be it." An old man noted while sitting in front of his store. "He promised us a way to improve the funds of Plegia and boost our stifled trade" A nearby merchant stated. "As long as he doesn't enforce the ways of Grima on us, I don't mind him either way." A young man said while playing with his children.

For the most part, it seemed that the citizens of Obum were lukewarm to the new king but didn't know enough to say otherwise. Shrugging in though, I guess the next order of business would be getting some new clothing to fit in better and possibly consider a weapon. Visiting one of the nearby weapon stores, I noticed that they seemed to be organized based on quality of the weaponry, with the real cheap ones being tossed in barrels with the handles sticking out.

"Anything that you are looking for lad?" asked a large man sitting behind the counter. He certainly looked like the owner, bulging with muscles and his head shining from the lack of hair.

Thinking on his question, I need to consider what I was looking for exactly. Although I lied a bit to Gerald about my history, it was the truth when I said I had a little bit of knife training. Maybe something to supplement that style of fighting.

"Yes, I recently came in with a merchant earlier today and was told that I might want to arm myself a little bit better. He gave me some funds to work with and I was hoping I could get some advice on weapons that could go well with daggers or short swords." I stated, pointing towards the small knife I currently had.

"Hm, that is a pretty dinky knife you got there, better fit for a thief rather than a warrior. I have a good selection of daggers you may use along with some short swords as well. Feel free to look through my wares and find something that meets your fancy." The man grunted.

"Alright thank you." Glancing around, I saw there were quite a few daggers, some ranging from 100 gold all the way up to 3000 gold. Merlinus only gave me a budget of 500 gold so it wasn't much to work with. In the end, I decided to purchase a bronze dagger and sword.

"These two weapons add up to a little more than 500 gold lad, but since you seemed to be a fresh fighter, I can give you a discount." The man stated. I appreciated the kind gesture and nodded to him while he rung up the weapons. "Make sure to come back alive boy, Hagel always enjoys repeat customers!" The man yelled loudly.

Shifting a bit to get used to my new weapons, I decided to make my way to the pub Gerald mentioned earlier. I didn't get any new clothing, but I can probably make due with what I have in the meantime. Walking in, I noticed that Gerald was talking with woman who dressed similarly to Gerald.

"Terry, come over here, this is the person I wanted you to talk with!" Gerald shouted while swinging a pitcher of beer. I walked over and greeted Gerald and looked over towards his companion. "Her name is Mina, she is a mercenary that takes a decent number of jobs from Obum and the surrounding villages. I explained your circumstances with her and she was willing to give you some tips on fighting and defending yourself." Gerald stated.

"Hello Terry, Gerald told me about your struggle with the wolf and how you wanted to be a better fighter. I don't really fancy myself a teacher, but I can help you get your feet off the ground at least." Mina said, extending her hand out to me.

"I would appreciate that, thanks." I shook her hand and set myself down at the table.

"Terry, I noticed that you have both a dagger and a sword strapped to your waist there. Were you possibly interested in wielding both of them?" Mina asked, eyebrow raised at the weapons I held.

 _"I guess it does look strange that I have both weapons strapped to my side here"_

"I didn't have that particularly in mind, but I was considering looking for a style that complemented my dagger training." I stated sheepishly rubbing my head.

"That's alright, I actually remember some Valmese warriors have had proficiency in using two blades so this may fit more with your heritage and innate style of fighting. From what I heard, it seems that Gerald and Merlinus will be heading out soon, but I can impart a good training regimen that I learned from some Valmese mercenaries I met a while ago and you can develop your own style from there." Mina explained.

"Gerald, you're leaving with Merlinus?" I asked glancing over to the man hunched over his beer.

"Aye, Obum is not the only village we have to go to, but this city is a good hub for work and trade, so I think it would do you well to learn from Mina here." Gerald stated while drinking from his mug.

"Alright, I'll learn what I can from Mina, thank you for helping me out Gerald and let Merlinus know I appreciated it as well." I nodded

"That I will Terry, I'll make sure to come visit you in my free time." Gerald mumbled. It looked like he was about to go to sleep with the way his face looked.

"Don't worry Terry, after my training is done, you'll be more than a good enough fighter." Mina said, her eyes glinting with what I can only assume was excitement.

 _"What did I get myself into."_

 _6 months later_

It has been a few months since Mina had left on her journey through Plegia and a few months since she left me with some parting notes to continue my training. Although I appreciated the opportunity to learn from a established mercenary, phantom aches and pains along with the scars I had along my arms and legs only made me shudder thinking about the hell she put me through.

 _"So why exactly am I doing this again?" I said glancing at the pack of wolves looking at me._

 _"Terry, you have been training for a month on this sword and dagger style, one of the biggest difficulties with this style is being able to fight multiple opponents at once. I hope that you'll be able to improve your instincts and know when danger is coming at you fast and hard. Learn how to disengage and prioritize the biggest threats." Mina stated calmly. "Anyways, I'll come in before you get hurt…too badly anyways._

 _"Wait repeat that last part again!?" I yelled before the surrounding wolves pounced on me._

Although the lessons I learned were invaluable, the methods left much to be desired.

Since Mina had left, I have basically been doing odd jobs from the citizens of Obum working as either a hunter or a delivery boy between villages. For the most part, I have been able to keep a steady income and even have my own place to live on the outskirts of the town. At the moment I was currently on a delivery to the village of Fastille along the border.

However, while I was running, I heard sounds of combat and what sounded like yelling off the side of the road.

 _"What could be going on over there. I should probably take a look and see what's happening."_

Looking over the dunes, I was shocked to see that there seemed to be two groups fighting amongst each other. Both sides seemed to be wearing what appeared to be the standard black and purple robes of grimleal priests however, among them, there seemed to be a few wearing robes that showed themselves as high ranking members as shown with the more intricate clothing. Moving in closer I tried to listen in on what exactly was happening. Although it seemed evenly matched at first, one group was definitely beginning to lose ground if the number of bodies lying in the sands was anything to go by.

"Lady Roseanne! You need to escape while we hold them off!" One of the robed men yelled. Right as he said that though, a blast of dark magic caught him in the chest. He fell down screaming before he was silenced by another blast.

"That is impossible, we almost made it to the border, we can't let our struggles end here…" The woman who I assumed was their leader said while looking around as her fellow brethren were struck down.

"Give up traitorous scum! You will return what is rightfully ours and suffer for eternity under the watchful eyes of Grima!" One of the men shouted across the sands.

 _"Seems one group is definitely more antagonizing than the other. Is there something I can do here…"_ Looking over, the one who shouted earlier looked to be the leader of this group of grimleal priests. He seems to have isolated himself and sent all his men out, assured of his victory. I made my way around the battlefield hastily, keeping note on the position of the leader. Looking over the dune, I saw that the woman was trying her hardest to defend herself against the few grimleal that were able to reach her. _"She seemed to be more than capable of handling multiple fighters, but why is she only using one arm to fight?"_

 _"Welp, this is the best plan I got I guess."_ I jumped off the dune and was right over the head of the enemy priest. By the time the priest noticed there was something amiss, I was already on top of him with my blade digging deep into his shoulders and into his chest.

"What… Grima why…" The man tried turning around, but I quickly pulled my blade out and spun around to silence him. The surrounding priests were shocked, but I couldn't waste time. I immediately threw my dagger at another priest, catching him in chest. Before he could even yell for help I was on him, ripping the dagger from him and cleaving him with my sword.

"Kill Him!" One of the priests shouted. Several of them turned around the deal with me but were met with opposing fire from the woman on the other side. With the group pincered and without the guidance of their leader, the enemy grimleal were not able to organize their efforts and I was able to cut them down with the support of the allied grimleal priestess.

With the adrenaline gone from my veins, I looked around at all the bodies laying in the sands, I felt nauseous thinking about it.

 _"That was my first time taking a human life. It was the heat of the moment, but I can't believe it."_

Glancing up, I looked for the grimleal woman from earlier, she seemed to have set herself alongside a tree and was glancing at me, as if asking me to come to her. I walked up slowly and got a better glimpse of her. Her face was dirtied from the recent combat, but it was easy to see that her hair was silver and she had piercing red eyes.

"It seems that the enemy is finally dead." She stated, her arms seeming to cradle her stomach.

"Yeah it seems so, I am sorry I tried the best that I could, but it seems that I couldn't save the rest of your men." I stated while glancing around at the burnt bodies near her side.

"It is alright they knew what they were doing and unfortunately met their ends here, the most important thing is that the grimleal do not get their hands on her." Roseanne whispered.

"Her?" I glanced around looking to see if there was someone else here. Only when I looked back at Roseanne did I notice that what she was cradling was not her stomach, but a small child.

"Yes, her name is Robin, she holds great importance to the grimleal, but I could not let them do what they planned for her. She is my daughter and the only true family I have left." Roseanne stated.

 _"Are you kidding me!? This is Robin! I thought I was pretty close to the Awakening timeline, but I am way off the mark!"_

"Let's get you up and we can try taking refuge in Fastille so that you can heal your wounds." I said sticking my hand over to help her up. Unfortunately, Roseanne seemed content to just sit and began to shed some tears. Seeing my panicked face, she only shook her head.

"I wish that was the case, but it seems that the battle was more difficult that I imagined…" Roseanne moved Robin and only then did I see the gaping wound she had. It did not seem to be recent either. Even with no medical expertise I can tell that the it looked to be fatal. I was even surprised she was able to fight at all on such a terrible wound.

"We have constantly been in combat with the grimleal, if only we made it to the border, I could have at least entrusted Robin to my allies, but now they have all perished. The very least I can do is entrust Robin to your care and protect her from the grimleal." Roseanne explained while holding her wound.

I was speechless. I didn't know exactly what to do, but it seemed that my body was moving on its own and my arms slowly picked up Robin gently. SRoseanne, seeing this could only smile at me.

"I am glad." She whispered and closed her eyes. I was shocked for a moment, but moved to shake Roseanne awake. However, she remained still and I couldn't even see her breathing.

Even though she looked like she was sleeping, I knew that Roseanne had died and I could do nothing to really stop it. Looking over at Robin, she seemed to be sleeping peacefully, unaware of what just happened to her mother.

 _"I'm just a kid, barely even beginning to be an adult, how am I supposed to take care of a kid and protect her from the grimleal! Okay calm down…let us just take this one step at a time and figure out what I have to do here. I know Robin plays an important role in Awakening and I need to at least keep her alive until she meets Chrom. From there, the story should play out as is. Not the greatest plan, but it will do."_

The first thing I should do is head back to Obum and try to get Robin somewhere safe. Looking at Roseanne's body, I knew I couldn't just leave it there. Knowing that the grimleal robes she wore were probably the ones Robin had in the future, I knew that they played a significant role if not at least have some sentimental value for Robin. I felt bad taking the robe, but I felt this is what Roseanne may have wanted. After burying her body, I made my way back to Obum.

 _"Now how do I raise a daughter?"_


	2. Chapter 2

Glancing down at the child in my arms, it was not difficult to see that Robin seemed to have inherited her mother's hair. Surprisingly enough, she has not woken up once during the journey, seemingly content to just sleep the day away. With Obum in the distance though, questions began to plague my mind on what is exactly happening and what to do from now on.

" _Based on what was happening earlier, it looks like Roseanne was in the process of escaping the Grimleal and most likely Validar due to Robin's role as Grima's future vessel. The question though is why she decided to escape now?"_

Thinking back on recent events, the only thing that came to mind was Gangrel's recent appointment as king. I knew that the man did have some relation towards the Grimleal, so it was possible that Validar was occupied with cementing Gangrel's position as King and Roseanne took that as an opportunity to escape.

" _Unfortunately, it didn't look like it was timed well enough"_ Glancing back down at Robin I could only think of the fortune that we did not end up meeting Validar himself at that skirmish. He probably sent out search teams far and wide throughout Plegia to retrieve her so the possibilities of meeting him were slim.

" _Even with Roseanne's help, I doubt we would have been able to defeat him."_ Although I have grown more confident in my ability to fight, my skill would likely be nothing compared to a dark mage of Validar's capabilities.

My thoughts were broken as I got closer to the city. Passing the Obum gates, the guards nodded their heads to me, but looked curiously at the bundle I held in my arms. Waving my hand in response I continued my way to a familiar weapon store in the distance. Entering the shop, there didn't seem to be any customers, but a hulking giant of a man was still standing as tall as ever behind the counter.

"Terry… I see that you returned from your trip to Fastille. Were there any problems with the delivery?" Hagel said while glancing at me.

"No, the delivery went off fine, but unfortunately something unexpected came up." I stated pointing to the bundle in my other arm.

"What could you possibly… Terry, you didn't tell me you had a lass back in Fastille!" Hagel said, surprised at the small child in my arms and with a glint in his eye.

"Err not quite Hagel, it looks like the child's parents were attacked by bandits. I was able to come in at the end to save the child, but her mother passed away due to the wounds she received. I was hoping you would be able to give me some advice on possibly raising a child." I explained. I knew that although Hagel looked fierce, he is a happily married man with children of his own.

"Is that so…a true shame. Ever since the war with Ylisse, there were many soldiers who turned to banditry when they found no homes to come back to. I was fortunate enough to be able to open this shop, but I couldn't say the same for the others. At the very least, I am glad you were able to save this young child. If you ever need anyone to watch over her or need something crafted, let me know." Hagel stated softly.

"I appreciate the help Hagel, I will let you know if anything comes up." I was grateful for Hagel's understanding and exited the shop, making my way back to my residence on the edge of the city. Once I entered my home, I began unpacking what little I was able to salvage from that earlier battle. Roseanne's robe and the tome she was using in her last engagement.

" _For now, I should probably keep the robe hidden until everything tides down. The Grimleal are sure to be looking for anyone matching the description of Roseanne and having high ranking priestess robes in my visible possession would not do me any favors."_

The tome was an oddity, although a majority of the Grimleal priests were using dark tomes, Roseanne seemed to have opted for a thunder tome instead. Perhaps it was a style of magic she was used to, and it did well to explain Robin's preference to thunder magic as well. While thinking on this, I felt a shift in my arms and looked down. I saw clear red eyes looking back at me. Immediately she began to cry, most likely looking for her mother. I tried to calm her down, but it didn't seem to help too much. Only after I began rocking her a bit, she began to calm down. Laying her down on the bed I began to prepare some food, but soon she began crying again.

"What is going on this time…" Entering the room, I began to head over to Robin, but then I noticed a smell in the air.

" _Please no."_ Standing over Robin only confirmed my fears and I could only freeze up while she continued to cry. "What did I get myself into." I muttered shaking my head.

 _5 years later_

It was a struggle trying to take care of Robin while trying to work the odd job. Fortunately, Hagel and his wife were more than happy to look after Robin during while I was out on the job. With the rising prevalence of bandits, it has become more commonplace to receive jobs to help drive them out with the assistance of other mercenaries in the town. Often, I have had a few jobs teaming up with Mina and even Gerald on occasion. Now though, I am sitting at home sharpening my blades and a few sets of daggers I kept as backup.

"Daddy! Look at this!" A young Robin looked up to me with stars in her eyes while she held up what looked like a wooden box.

"What are you holding there Robin?" I glanced up at the box, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Uncle Hagel made it for me, he said it's supposed to be a game that kids can play even with oldies like you daddy!" Robin yelled excitedly. At first, I wasn't sure what she meant, but then she opened the box and inside was a familiar looking board colored white and black along with some wooden pieces.

"I think he called it Chest!" Robin said. Sounding rather proud of herself. I took a glance and chuckled. "Not quite Robin, it's called Chess, it is a game popular with the high-class folk and noblemen. Would you like me to show you how to play?" Robin seemed to visibly deflate for a second but brightened up again once I told her I would play with her.

 _2 hours later_

" _How is she so good at this!"_ I held my head in shame as Robin excitedly exclaimed checkmate for the fifth time today. I only taught her the basics, but she really does have a mind for strategy huh.

"Don't bully your old man now Robin." I said; exasperated and holding my head in my hands.

"Let's play again!" Robin said while smiling cheekily. I could only grumble in discontent, intent on letting Hagel have a piece of my mind the next time I saw him.

 _8 years later_

"Father what do you mean I can't learn your fighting style?" Robin asked while pouting.

"You know your mother used to be quite the mage, I thought it would be a style that fit you more than learning from a bumbling fool swinging his swords around." I exclaimed while patting Robin's head.

"Why not both? I have seen aunty Mina and that old boozer Gerald fight, and it looked pretty interesting." Robin asked. You said that I good talent as a tactician and being able to fight with both swords and magic seems like a great ability.

"Well…you do have a point there. Although Gerald might not be happy that you called him an old boozer, but anyways, I can give you the rundown of my sword and dagger style and we'll also get you up to speed on using magic, was there a particular element of magic you wanted to look at?" I said, looking at Robin who had sparkles in her eyes. I chuckled, even though she was older now, she was still the same little girl.

"I want to study anima magic!" Robin stated.

I glanced back at her. "Anima magic huh, any particular reason behind that choice little lady?" Robin was quick to run back into her room and pull out an old looking tome. It was Roseanne's thunder tome. Something that I let Robin hold onto as a memento of her mother.

"I know you told me that you didn't know my mother long but saw that she favored lightning spells. I was hoping to do the same…" Robin mumbled while looking up at me. I stood up and walked over to her "Don't worry Robin, I am sure your mother would have appreciated the thought. I can probably find some notes to get you started or bug Mina about it." I stated while ruffling her hair.

 _5 years later_

"Robin" Her head shot up from the book ' _Tactics for Dummies'._ Over the past 18 years, Robin has grown into a beautiful young lady. Although I didn't get a good look at Roseanne at the time, she could have been a spitting image of her mother.

"I know I have been training you for the past 5 years now and I have taken you out on a few jobs, but what do you say about visiting some other countries such as Ylisse? I'm sure you've grown tired of dealing with the Plegian sand.

"Really father? I thought there were strained relations between Plegia and Ylisse?" Robin stated while glancing at her book. "Wouldn't that make it difficult for us to even cross the border let alone travel in the first place?"

"That is true, but I can pull in favors to get us over the border, I got a few friends who work the gates there. I could tell that Robin was excited at the prospect of traveling and learning more about the world. "However, before we head out there is something I wanted to give you. Heading into my room, Robin peered in curiously from the doorway. Only when I turned around, she looked shocked to see me holding a long purple robe with symbols that could only signify a following to the Grimleal.

I did let Robin know that her mother was a former Grimleal priestess and passed away from injuries incurred during her escape. Because of that, she had no real love for the Grimleal nor the following of Grima. "I know you are not a fan of the Grimleal, but this robe used to belong to your mother. I was waiting until you were old enough to understand the implications that come from wearing a robe like this once and to only cherish your mother's memory." I stated handing the robe over to Robin and letting her take time to try it on. Robin still seemed to be in shock, but she slowly took the robe from my hands and held it up to her chest, silent tears falling from her eyes.

"One more thing I have to say Robin. While we are crossing the border, there is still the chance that the Grimleal can be watching. It is best that you avoid wearing the robe for the time being until we pass into Ylisse." I explained.

"Yes, thank you father." I can sense Robin's inner turmoil in not being able to wear her mother's coat, but she understood the risks of dealing with possible Grimleal interference.

"Alright, we can head out in a week and begin our journey into Ylisse then."

" _This is bad."_

Those were my thoughts but calling it bad would be an understatement. After getting some assistance from the border guards and being supplied a general map of Ylisse, I began my journey with Robin to South town in hopes of possibly meeting the blue prince himself.

" _I was not sure of Robin's exact age when she met Chrom, but if we hang around the area, we can increase our chances at the very least."_

Unfortunately, things were not meant to be since as soon as we made some decent headway from the border, I noticed that we were being followed.

"Robin, it looks like we're surrounded, it is possible that it is the Grimleal, remember what I taught you and keep your wits about you" I whispered to her. She could only nod her head in anticipation and a little bit of what I assumed to be fear. While trying to look nonchalant I quickly spun around and tossed a dagger into one of the trees surrounding us, a quick thump confirmed a hit on a target. Immediately, the forest around us sprang into life as dark magic flew from various locations with rogues coming in behind them.

Although I was only a newbie when I first entered this world, I have had more than enough years' experience to deal with Grimleal thugs. After dodging the initial volley of magic, I swung my dagger forcibly at the closing blade of one of the rogues, he was unprepared for the quick strike and had his blade bounced back by my parry leaving him completely open. Not even giving him a time to respond I quickly swiped my blade across his chest and he crumpled to the ground. The other rogues took a step back after seeing one of their allies fall so easily, but that was a mistake as they were quickly met with pinpoint lightning strikes to their chests, either paralyzing or killing them outright. I glanced back at robin and she only gave a thumbs up in response.

With the rogues dealt with, I quickly charged into the brush and hunted down the mages who were still in the process of casting their second wave of spells. They were surprised to find me already on top of them and immediately fired off some spells in my direction. Grabbing a nearby mage, I turned him around and let him take the brunt of the blows and tossed the body back at the mages. Amongst their confusion, I stabbed my blade through a mage's torso and quickly spun through him into the surrounding mages ending their lives. Taking a deep breath, I looked back over to robin and she seemed to be finishing up the last of the rogues.

"Good job Robin, that seems to be the last of them." I stated, sheathing my blades. Robin looked up and smiled at me, but quickly yelled when she was blown back by a spell in the back.

"Robin!" I looked past her and saw a hooded attacker. Enraged, I charged at him and brought my blade down, hoping to cleave him in two, but my surprise, he just grabbed my sword like it was nothing.

"What?" I could only stare as the hooded figure laughed, it sounded feminine, but she quickly launched me back with a blast of dark magic. The force of the spell blew back her hood and I was surprised to see a carbon copy of my daughter looking back at me, but I knew better.

"Grima…" I spat out, glaring at the dragon incarnate.

"Who are you exactly, I don't recall there being a random mercenary who knew me well enough to speak my name so casually." Grima chuckled. She prepared another spell and fired it out, I tried to dodge it, but the strength behind the spell was powerful and the resulting explosion even more so. I was knocked aside and felt my head hit something, blood trickling down my face.

" _This is bad, I didn't think I would meet freaking Grima here and now!"_

"Looks like you had some relation with my future vessel here, it is best that I just remove you right now." Grima smirked as she charged another spell and aimed towards me.

"Thoron!" A yell came from the side as a beam of pure energy shot into Grima's side destroying the area surrounding her. "Robin was back up, but she seemed to still be recovering from the earlier attack.

"It seemed that my vessel still has some bark." Looking into the smoke from Robin's attack, Grima walked out virtually unscathed. Before I could even say anything, Grima was in front of Robin and holding her by the neck.

"Let her go!" I tried to yell out, but I could barely speak over my recent injury.

"No… I think it is time that I finished what I came here for." Grima laughed as a chain of energy surrounded her and Robin.

"Wha..what are you doing to her?!" I shouted at her.

"I am simply taking back what is mine, soon her memories, her soul, her very being will be washed away, replaced only with my presence." Grima spoke as Robin struggled in her grasp.

" _Shit I have to do something, or Robin is done for!"_

Grasping one of my daggers, I focused as hard as I could and threw it right at Grima. I heard a satisfying sound as the dagger sunk into her shoulder. She glanced at me, like looking at an insect and moved one of her arms towards me.

"Die." Grima whispered as she prepared to fire another spell at me.

"As if I'll let you!" Robin yelled as she pulled out one of the daggers in her cloak and stabbed it into Grima's chest during the distraction.

"What…." Grima gasped. "I don't remember my vessel fighting like that…"

A burst of energy exploded from Grima. It seemed that the fusion process was interrupted and Grima was left holding her chest.

"As if a small wound like this will stop me, but it seems that I am too late. You will live this time" Grima whispered before disappearing.

" _What did she mean by that?"_

I looked over to robin and saw that she was unconscious. I picked her up and tried to make my way over to South town, but the fatigue was catching up to me and I quickly fell with Robin at my side.

" _Damn, not when I'm this close."_ Thinking that with the town in the distance, I felt my eyes close and drift into nothingness.

"Hey are you alright?" a voice called.

" _Who is that… talking right now?"_

"Chrom we have to do something." the voice called out again.

" _Chrom…wait a second Chrom!?"_ My eyes snapped open and true enough, there was the boy wonder himself with his sister kneeling over Robin. I slowly sat up, but felt an ominous presence next to me. I looked to my side right into the suspecting gaze of a familiar knight.

" _Frederick the Wary…"_

We stared at each other for a moment before I saw Robin slowly standing up to my side.

"I see that you're awake now" Chrom stated, looking at Robin and slowly moving his gaze over to me. "Are you two all right?"

"Y-yes…Thank you Chrom." Robin muttered.

"Ah, then you know who I am?" Chrom asked.

"No, your name, it just came to me…" Robin said, confusion marked on her features. I could feel Fredericks gaze growing shaper and Chrom looking at her skeptically. I was shocked. I don't ever remember telling Robin what Chrom looked like or who Chrom even was.

" _I am simply taking back what is mine, soon her memories, her soul, her very being will be washed away, replaced only with my presence." Grima spoke._

That must be it! The Robin was in the process of fusing with Grima's soul, but the process was interrupted. That means she lost her memories and recalls fragments of Grima's memories…but that means she must have forgotten about me as well. That thought brought some inner turmoil to my mind. The little girl I raised for 18 years suddenly forgetting her father is just too cruel…

I was shaken out of my thoughts when Chrom brought his attention from me back to Robin. "How curious…Tell me, what is your name? What brings you here?" Chrom asked.

"I'm not sure…" Robin said as she looked around and finally landed her gaze on me. Hoping for some possible answers.

Knowing what might happen, I decided to interject. "Her name is Robin and mine is Terry. She is my daughter and we are traveling mercenaries."

"Is this true?" Chrom asked, looking over towards Robin.

"I wasn't sure at first, but after hearing that name, it sounds familiar. I just can't remember entirely." Robin stated, rubbing her head as if trying to pull out the very memories themselves.

"Hey I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!" Lissa exclaimed. She was looking at me expectantly as if to confirm her assumption. Just like she was in the game, Lissa seemed to be just as active in both speech and action.

"It is a possibility. Just before we reached South town, we were attacked by some bandits. Although we were able to defeat them, Robin and I did suffer some injuries with Robin taking a direct blast of magic from a strong mage. Lissa nodded her head excitedly, happy that her deduction seemed correct. Chrom was also to the side nodding his head in understanding while Robin just stared at me in confusion.

"Milord, this is a load of Pegasus dung. Even if the assumption that this 'Robin' has amnesia was true, how could she remember your name, but not her own? If anything, I think these two were bandits themselves." Frederick stated while shooting glares our way.

" _Shit he has a point, I didn't think he would catch that."_

"It is what it is, I can only tell you what happened to us before waking up today and nothing more." I explained, Robin nodded her head in response to my answer.

Chrom looked to be deep in thought before finally coming to a compromise. "Right then, lets take them back with us to town and sort it out over there. If we find that you are not an enemy of Ylisse, then you are free to go as you two please."

Robin was about to say something, but knowing that she only had more questions, I interrupted her. "We understand Chrom, we will accompany you to South town then."

"So could you explain a little bit more about yourselves Terry?" Chrom asked while also glancing over to Robin who still looked to be deep in thought.

I don't blame him for being curious, two random people sleeping in a field would leave one for concern or in Frederick's case, suspicion. "Of course, Robin and I have only been traveling recently to explore Ylisse. Although we may call ourselves mercenaries, we do other odd jobs as well such as delivery and hunting."

"You look to be a little young to be a father of someone as old as Robin here and you two certainly don't look alike. An explanation as to why she is also wearing robes befitting of Plegian barbarians may also be necessary." Frederick stated his glare piercing behind me.

I turned my head and glared back at Frederick, his suspicion being just a bit tiresome to deal with. _"Hard to please aren't you?"_

"Please Frederick, I understand that you're worried, but I'm sure Terry has a proper explanation for that." Chrom said, trying to mediate the growing tensions between Frederick and me.

"Its alright Chrom, I know I look a little young, but I am well into my thirties. Robin is my adopted daughter. Robin's mother was a victim of a bandit attack near the border of Plegia many years ago. I was fortunate enough to save Robin, but not her mother. Those robes Robin wears were once her mother's, a gift I had given to her before we headed off on our journey" I explained. I saw no reason to lie to Chrom and the shepherds. It would only lead to more problems down the line. Robin listening in on the conversation seemed shocked for a minute but looked back at her robes then back at me as if in understanding.

"My apologies Terry, I didn't want to bring up difficult memories for you." Chrom was sympathetic and Lissa looked like she was about to tear up.

"Do not worry yourself over it, it was well over a decade ago." I stated. Scratching my head in thought. Chrom looked down as if trying to remember something before Lissa suddenly yelled out "Chrom, the town!"

Chrom snapped his head up and saw smoke coming from the town up ahead. "Damn it! It must be bandits…Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!"

"What about these two milord?" Frederick said, pointing to Robin and me.

"If they're not on fire it can wait!" Chrom yelled before running down the road.

Frederick shot one last glare at me before riding along with Lissa in tow, leaving me and Robin behind in the dust.

Looking back at Robin, I motioned towards the town. "They will probably need our help dealing with whoever is responsible for this." I began to wake my way down the road but slowed down once I noticed Robin was not following me.

"Is it true?" Robin asked.

"What do you mean?" I responded, turning my head back at her.

"That you are my father and that you actually knew my mother?" It seemed that Robin was still trying to sift through her memories or her lack of them.

"Yes, it is all true, I raised you like my own and taught you all that I know." I walked up to her and ruffled her hair. I chuckled when she pouted at treating her like a child. Turning back towards the town I started walking down. "If you don't remember me on words alone, maybe some combat can get your memory jogging. Those blades and tomes are not just for show you know."

She held her head in response to the ruffling, but only nodded and followed me down the road.


	3. Chapter 3

**Robin POV**

Grasping the sword at my side, I followed behind as Terry took the lead. He called himself my father, but thinking back on who my family could have been only lead to blanks in my memory. The robe I was currently wearing seemed to be very old with frayed edges, but the tome it held within seemed even older.

" _He said that this robe once belonged to my mother. Was she possibly a priestess? The symbols sewn into the robes seem to be religious in nature and they seem familiar. Terry probably knows what they mean, but I am not sure if I can trust his word. By all intents and purposes, he is a stranger, but when he patted my head, it felt familiar somehow…"_

Glancing up ahead, it looked like Terry was able to catch up with Chrom and the others. They seemed to be talking about how to approach the bandits spread around the city.

"Ah Robin, there you are. I was just talking with Terry and he said that you were training to be a tactician, perhaps you could give us some insight." Chrom looked at me expectedly. I glanced at Terry and he nodded towards me with a small grin.

"A tactician…" I muttered softly. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my head.

" _Daddy! Let's play again!" a voice yelled out._

" _How many games of chess are you gonna play before you're satisfied Robin? Your strategies are a little too complex for me at this point. Do you like bullying your old man?" Another voice called out. This one was slightly deeper._

" _Practice makes perfect right? Let's keep going!" the voice called out again with only a disgruntled groan in response._

I closed my eyes while grasping my head. _"That child's voice…was that me?"_

"Robin are you alright?" it was that voice again from before, but it sounded much more real than I was expecting. Looking up, I saw Terry with his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you…" I whispered before looking back at the bandits currently spread around the area.

" _It sounded like Terry may have been the one from that memory, but was that really him? Regardless, I feel like I know what to do here."_

Looking over the battlefield I saw a few barbarians wielding axes, a few swordsman, and mages down by the bridge.

" _A few short range fighters supported by mages. If we deal with those mages, we can probably handle what is in front of us."_

"Alright, the plan should be for Frederick to draw the fire of the mages since he is the fastest out of all of us while we deal with the barbarians and swordsmen next to us." I explained while pointing towards the mages positioned to the far side.

Chrom hummed in understanding, but Frederick seemed to be a bit disgruntled. "Milord, are we really going to follow the words of someone we just met?" I was annoyed that he was judging me so harshly. Not like he was thinking up anything useful!

"Frederick, it is certainly a better idea than just charging straight in with no plan at all. Let's follow her lead. Any more time wasted is more lives lost to these dastards." Chrom explained, drawing his sword. Frederick offered no words and simply turned his horse to look towards the enemies. It was my first time seeing it, but Chrom's sword did look a little strange with a large hole right near the base. " _Is that structurally sound?"_ I didn't dare say that out loud of course.

"So, Robin." Chrom's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at him.

"I see that you have a sword ready, but I also noticed that you had a tome as well. Are you trained in martial and magic arts?" Chrom asked me.

Thumbing the tome in my pocket I wasn't sure what to say. "I think so…"

"You think so? Maybe I should keep my distance for now then." Chrom stated, shuffling a few steps to the side.

"Don't worry, Robin has more than enough control over her magic." Glancing over it seemed Terry was grinning at me confidently. I wasn't sure what inspired such confidence in my magic ability, but looking at that grin filled me with confidence as well.

"If that is what Terry says then I'll believe him. Frederick, can you start your charge?"

"As you wish milord." Frederick moved forward with surprising speed, a lot faster than what I expected a man in full heavy armor to go.

"Come with me Robin, we should be more than enough to handle these lot." Chrom said, pointing towards the barbarians making their way over.

"Alright then. Terry, would it be alright for you to standby and cover for Lissa?" I ordered. Lissa pouted a little at that statement. "I'm not so delicate you know, I can handle myself."

"Don't worry Robin I got you covered." Terry chuckled. Patting his hand on Lissa's head. Running ahead, I only heard a loud HEY from behind me before I charged forward with Chrom.

It seemed that Chrom was already in combat with one of the swordsmen which left a barbarian for me to deal with. He leered at me before jumping forward with a large overhead slam. Rolling to the side, I saw the axe impact with the floor, cleaving the stone under it.

" _Don't want to get hit by one of those…"_

Looking at my sword, I took a stance with my sword to my side and my arm sticking out in front of me.

" _This stance is familiar, but something feels off about it. What am I missing."_

Looking towards my body, I noticed something that wasn't apparent before. There were several daggers that were pocketed on the inner layer of my robe! I'm surprised I didn't notice them earlier. Pulling one of them out, I held the it in defensive pose in front of me. For some reason this felt right.

" _Remember that this style focuses on being able to disengage and strike when the opponent is in an awkward position. Although people often associate the daggers and short swords with quick stabs and strikes, do not forget that they also allow for increased options in parrying and moving into an opponent's stance. "a voice explained._

It was that voice again, but I don't have time to mull on it. I need to get rid of this oaf in front of me.

"What are you going to do with a small sword like that lass. You asking to get killed?" the barbarian laughed while I held my stance.

I only glared at him. Seeing that he was not going to get a rise out of me he charged again with another overhead slash. This one was not a blow that I could parry, but maybe I won't need to. Charging into him, the bandit had a surprised look on his face before I brought my dagger up and began to step forward as the axe slid down the side of my dagger. He could only stare dumbfounded as I swung my sword digging it deep into his side before ripping it back out and stepping away. He tried to bring his axe up again, but only managed to cough up a large amount of blood before grasping his side and falling over.

" _That takes care of him I suppose."_ Looking back towards Chrom, it looked like he had also finished his opponent, if the cleaved halves of the swordsmen was anything to go by.

"You certainly know your way around the blade Robin. You don't see many warriors using two blades at once around here." Chrom was breathing a little deeply, but didn't seem to have any noticeable injuries on him.

"These brutes weren't really much of a challenge milord." I turned around behind us to the sight of Frederick with a few spatters of blood on his armor and lance. He swung his lance to the side in a vain attempt to clean it of blood as if mildly annoyed that he had to deal with bandits like these.

Nodding his head, Chrom began to move back to the town entrance. "Let's group back up with Lissa and clear out the remaining bandits. Hopefully there were no problems."

"There is no need Chrom" A rough voice called out from the side. Looking over, I saw Terry coming around the corner with Lissa in tow.

"Were there any problems on your end Terry?" I asked, glancing to see if there were any injuries on his person.

"No, there were a couple of bandits who thought they could get the jump on us, but they weren't worth the weapons they were holding." Terry shrugged before looking over the bridge. Following his gaze, I saw that there was another barbarian there, but he seemed much larger compared to the rest and if his face was anything to go by, he didn't look very happy having just lost all his men.

"Let me handle this, he'll pay for what he did here." Chrom seemed to be itching to dig that fancy sword into the barbarian. I was happy to oblige but then Terry came up to him. "Hold it Chrom, I understand that you want to deal with this dastard yourself, but it's best we be cautious. I'll hang with you and can probably open him up for a decisive strike. How does that sound?"

Chrom seemed to hesitate for a moment, but nodded his head. "You and Robin have leant us your strength so far, let's finish it then." Chrom drew his sword while Terry pulled out his sword and a short sword as well.

"Bwahaha you little sheepies made a mistake coming to Garrick!" the bandit seemed to be full of himself. Terry only stared on before settling into a stance that seemed all to familiar.

" _A dual weapon user just like me! That stance is the same as well, but his feels different somehow…"_

I was broken out of my thoughts when Garrick charged in and brought his hammer down on Terry. Even I could tell from this distance that a blow like that could not be easily blocked. I shouted for Terry to step aside or do anything to move away. However, he stood his ground and slightly bent his knees. Right before the blade reached him, I saw his arms move like a blur. There was a large resounding noise that rang through the area and I was surprised to see Garrick with his hammer knocked back, shock covering his face. Terry quickly spun his body around cleaved into Garrick's side with both blades. Chrom charged in immediately, ending it with a decisive strike to the bandit's chest.

" _How did he do that!? It was so fast, and I didn't expect him to overpower a large brute like Garrick so easily."_

"That was amazing! You were like a statue and then boom! You just knocked back that big oaf like it was nothing!" Lissa was certainly excited that is for sure, but even I was a little curious.

"That man was all power and no technique. He just stepped forward assuming he can overpower me, but didn't expect me to strike back with all my power at once." Terry explained while rubbing his shoulders. "My arms are a little numb though, looks like I need a bit more training." He glanced at me and ruffled my hair again much to my chagrin. "You did well, it seems that its not quite so easy to forget my teachings."

I can only grumble a thanks in response while trying to fix my hair. "Well that's the end of that I suppose." I muttered.

"Yes, you two are definitely excellent fighters if nothing else." Chrom stated as he walked over to us.

"Indeed…a little too suspicious that two powerful fighters just so happened to be here during a bandit attack." Frederick stated.

" _What does it take to please this guy…"_

"These two fought to save Ylissean lives. That is more than satisfactory in my heart." Chrom stated, patting both Terry and my shoulders.

"And your mind milord? Will you not heed its counsel as well? Frederick looked on with pleading eyes.

"Frederick, we cannot deny that the shepherds could use people with these talents. A tactician and a well-seasoned mercenary would do well despite their odd history." Chrom explained.

Terry seemed to be deep in thought, but I was shocked that Chrom would want us to join their group. "I would be honored Chrom." I stated, a little embarrassed at the praise.

"And you Terry?"

"If Robin says she will, then I will as well. What kind of father would I be if I let little Robin here run around by her lonesome." Terry shrugged. I glared at him, but he only smiled knowingly in response.

After clearing the town for any other bandits, we went on our way towards Ylisse. It seemed that one member in the group was not particularly happy with that decision though.

"Why didn't we stay a night in the town, my feet are killing me!" Lissa seemed to be a bit unhappy that Frederick had declined the villager's generous offer to house us for the night.

"Milady, were you not the one who said that you would be getting used to this? Living off the land and camping out in the wild?" Frederick smirked a little. I was shocked that the man could even crack a joke!

"Frederick? Sometimes I hate you." Lissa muttered.

It was amusing to watch, but I soon fell back into deep thought thinking over the past events today. I looked ahead and saw Terry speaking with Chrom near the front, I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but with the small laughs that occurred randomly between them I couldn't help, but think they were talking about me.

" _Terry says he is my father, but how do I know that it is true? Those memories I had during battle felt so much like my own. We even shared the same martial fighting style! Arrrrgh, there are just too many questions. I just wished he would stop messing with me!"_

"Ugh, I think I swallowed a bug! Don't you think this is unfair Robin?" Lissa gazed at me for support. It was hard not to look directly into her eyes, Lissa's face made it difficult to deny her.

"Maybe now would be a good time to set up camp, it is getting a little dark." I mentioned to the group. "We should probably get something to eat, I am starving."

"Yes, maybe now would be a good time. Frederick, why don't you stay with Lissa while I go out to hunt some food. Is it alright if you go with Terry to grab some firewood Robin?" Chrom asked me. Terry seemed to be surprised before looking at Chrom before humming quietly.

"It feels like I am missing something here…" I glanced at Terry, but he only clapped my shoulder and began walking into the woods, waving me to come along.

Looking at Chrom he only nodded his head and headed in the opposite direction. _"Maybe this is a good time to ask Terry about my past."_

Once we were a good distance away, Terry began to look around for any usable firewood. I wasn't sure what to say so I simply followed his lead and gathered with him. Once it looked like we had a good amount of wood, Terry set it to the side and sat down, motioning me to sit with him.

"So how did it feel?" Terry asked me, but I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?"

"Fighting in the town, did it help you in anyway with your memories Robin?" Terry only seemed to smile knowingly while pointing towards me and my blades.

" _He probably noticed that I was watching him closely when he was fighting earlier."_

"Yes… it looked like we had similar styles of combat, was that something that you taught me yourself?" I was curious and wanted answers.

"Yeah, ever since you were a little girl, you wanted to learn my martial style. However, it did not look like you had quite enough strength to replicate some of my techniques, so you made an improvised version that focused more on misdirection than pure power." Terry explained, smiling fondly at the memory.

"Could you tell me anything about my mother and maybe the robe and tome I have? I saw that you didn't look like you were much of a mage, so I'm surprised you were so confident in my magic ability earlier." Although I didn't use my tome in the last fight, I could almost feel the power within the pages. Terry seemed to be deep in thought before finally responding.

"It was no lie to say that when I first met your mother, she was wearing the robe and was an adept user of lightning magic. At the time, my original intention was to guide you through the teachings of anima magic with the help of some friends, but since you were so inclined to learn sword fighting as well, we decided to teach you both magic and martial arts." Terry chuckled a bit.

"It was no surprise to us that you also had excellent talent in anima magic and it was not uncommon for you to do precise strikes using that tome. Maybe in the next engagement, you can try that tome out and see for yourself."

" _I am not so sure about that. I don't remember being able to use magic, but I can't deny that I felt something when holding the tome."_

"I guess so…What about the symbols on my robe? They look familiar, but I can't place my finger on it." It looked like this question was difficult to answer. Terry's brow scrunched up for a minute and it looked like he was struggling with something.

"The symbols on those robes represent members of the Grimleal cult. A cult that your mother was once a part of." Terry finally answered.

"A cult?" I muttered, looking at the eye like symbols along my sleeves.

"I say it's a cult, but it is technically the official religion of Plegia, a desert country to the west. Your mother, Lady Roseanne, was trying to escape, but… she was caught by members of the Grimleal and died trying to protect you." Terry explained, his face morose.

"And that's where you found me and decided to take me in I'm assuming?"

"Yes, I was able to come in at the end to finish off the remaining Grimleal priests, but not early enough to save your mother. She entrusted me with you when you were just a baby and I have been caring for you ever since." It seemed like Terry was saddened at not being able to save my mother at the time. There was a tense silence between us for a bit, but then he started chuckling. "It wasn't easy to take care of baby girl when I was barely getting into adulthood myself. I still have nightmares of changing your diapers. Me and Chrom had a good laugh about that one haha!

I felt my face heat up at his words. "Who do you think you are, telling people embarrassing stories like that!" I punched his shoulder, but he just kept laughing.

"Don't worry, there will be plenty more stories where that came from." Terry moved to stand up and began to head back to the campsite. "I know you probably have more questions, but we can't keep Chrom waiting or Frederick might get even more suspicious than he already is. Maybe he'll put us over the fire instead of whatever Chrom brings back."

I stared at him little bit before finally asking, "What do you think about this situation? I am sure you had other plans before this and I wasn't expecting to follow my lead."

Terry paused for a moment before answering, "As I said before, what kind of father would I be if I left my daughter alone with some random group of people we just met. Even though you may have forgotten me, you are still my pride and joy."

Looking at his back, I couldn't help but feel my cheeks redden again. "Don't say stuff like that, it's embarrassing." I muttered. I could only hear his laughter as he walked away.

"Get back here!" I quickly stood up, gathered the firewood, and started running after him.

" _I don't know why, but talking to him really calms me down. It really isn't something that can happen between two strangers. Maybe he really is who he says he is… My father."_

* * *

 ** _AN_**

 ** _Hello, this basically marks the end of the prologue. Here we have Robin's POV on her situation. We will probably see more of her POV and many others, but whether or not they'll be full chapters or just small snippets will probably change depending on how the story progresses._**


	4. Chapter 4

"Is this really all that we're going to eat tonight?" Lissa glared intensely at the bear hanging over the fire. "Why didn't we bring some food with us from the town?"

"Milady, we can't ask the townsfolk to part with what they have left after dealing with a bandit attack. Even if the food may not be quite what we are used to, it will be a good experience for us." Frederick stated, glancing over towards Chrom who seemed content in his recently hunted meal.

"I don't see you partaking in this 'good experience' Frederick." Lissa grumbled pointing towards his reluctance to grab a piece of the bear.

"Ah well I had a large lunch today milady…"

Looking over at the two, I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. It looked like they heard me though, with Lissa instantly diverting her attention to me.

"You look like you're having a bit of fun there Mr. Mercenary!" Lissa huffed.

"Traveling around, you get to try a lot of different food. Fortunately, bear is not the worst meat to find out here in the wild." Pointing over to Robin, she seemed occupied in finishing whatever remained of the bear. "However, if you are not too keen on bear meat, I usually carry some supplies with me in case food becomes scarce." Opening my pack, I pulled out some bread, cheese, and dried meat. Lissa glanced at me before staring intensely at the rations I held in my hands. "I might be willing to part with some of it if someone is willing to ask nicely."

I don't think I ever saw someone move as quickly as Lissa did in that one instance. By the time I blinked, she was already in front of me hands clasped in front of her. "PLEASE spare some of that food for me Terry!" I only chuckled before breaking off some bread and handing her a few pieces of my cheese and meat. She was more than content to begin nibbling on the food in relief.

Glancing over to Frederick, I saw that he was also eyeing my rations. "Would you like some as well Frederick? Even with a large lunch, I'm sure a few snacks wouldn't hurt huh?" I mentioned with a slight chuckle. It looked like he was having an inner argument with himself before walking over and grabbing some bread and cheese as well.

"My thanks." Frederick seemed content with just those words and moved away before sitting himself back down.

" _Not the talkative type is he?"_ Chrom and Robin looked to have eaten their fill and were conversing quietly to the side. Since everyone seemed to be occupied, I pulled out my blades and began to wipe them down with a cloth. There still seemed to be a few stains on them from the previous battle.

"Those blades you have seem quite interesting Terry. I thought they were steel swords at first, but they looked to be much stronger than that." I heard Chrom's voice and turned to look at him. Looking back at the two swords I currently had. Although they looked like normal blades, it was easy to see that there was a bright sheen to them when held up to the moonlight.

"Yeah, these swords were forged with a type of metal called tungsten." I explained, holding up one of the smaller blades for Chrom to look at.

"Tungsten?" He asked, holding up the blade to the fire.

"Indeed. In its raw form, the metal itself is relatively brittle, but when purified, it has a hardness that is comparable to, if not better than steel." It's pretty reliable and I have used these blades for a few years now."

"So you use two blades just like Robin…" Chrom seemed to be in deep thought before turning towards me. "It is an interesting style of combat; would it trouble you if we sparred sometime once we reach Ylisse? I am curious to see how I would fare against a dual blade user."

"Of course, that is not an issue. I would even be willing to give you some tips if you were interested in pursuing something similar Chrom." I said before placing the blades back into their sheaths.

"I thank you for the offer Terry, but I am quite comfortable with what I have. I am sure there are some soldiers who may be interested in learning though."

I only nodded my head before turning to look at the moon. "It looks like its getting pretty late. We should probably head to sleep if we want to make good time to Ylisse tomorrow. I can stand watch for a little bit before sleeping myself."

"How are we supposed to trust you with protecting us while we are sleeping. It would be more likely that you would attack us while we are unaware." Frederick seemed to still have some trouble trusting me I guess.

"If I had any intentions of hurting you, I would have done so much earlier. It looks like Lissa over there wants to go to bed as much as the rest of us. Let's not delay it any longer than we need to." I stated, laying my back across a tree in clear view of the surrounding area. Frederick turned around in a huff and walked away.

"Is it really alright for you to stand watch?" Robin's voice projected over the camp fire. It looked like was worried, but I only waved her off.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be sleeping soon enough. Make sure to relax for the next day." Robin seemed to hesitate, but nodded and slowly laid down and began to nod off to sleep.

" _Sleep is probably going to be the last thing on my mind right now though."_ I knew that at this point, it would come time for the Lucina and crew to make there appearance along with the presence of the risen. " _I wonder if I was ever present in their timeline. It would probably be unlikely unless a different version of myself died back then."_

Glancing over at Robin, it looked like she was sleeping, but it didn't look to be so peaceful. _"Is she trying to remember her old memories or are they nightmares associated with Grima's memories?"_ I walked over to her and patted her head a bit. It looked like she calmed down from that and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. _"I'll figure something out Robin…"_

It was quite some time before I heard some shuffling. I saw Chrom slowly sat up and seemed to be mumbling something over to Lissa.

"Is there something wrong Chrom?" I whispered slowly making my way over.

Chrom looked surprised to see me before remembering that I was keeping watch. "Yes Terry, I feel that something is a little off and was about to look around and see what it was. Lissa was offering to accompany me."

"I see…" Looking back at Robin I was sure that she would be safe with Frederick for the time being. "Then I'll offer my hand as well. You don't get far without trusting your instincts at the very least."

"Thank you, Terry, I appreciate it." Chrom slowly stood up with Lissa and we began to make our way through the forest perimeter.

"It's really quiet, the silence is almost deafening." I mentioned while looking around cautiously.

"Yes, something is definitely wrong here." Chrom muttered. Suddenly there was a large earthquake and we began to quickly lose out balance. I pulled out one of my swords and stabbed it into the grab. It looked like Chrom was telling Lissa to head back to camp, but she quickly looked behind me and pointed to something.

 _It can't be what I think it is…"_ I felt a chill behind me before turning around. In front of me there looked to be a dark being covered in armor. The game did not do the risen justice. _"It's only a single risen, but its presence is nauseating."_ For all intents and purposes, it looked like a soldier, but there was a purple miasma that seeped out of its mouth and a distinct smell of rotting flesh. Shaking my head, I pulled out my blade and quickly charged at it. It swung its blade at me from the side, but I quickly swatted it aside and dug my blade deep from its shoulder into its chest.

" _Did that do it?"_ I suddenly felt a sharp pain to my side as the risen simply punched me away. It continued to walk towards me, albeit at a slower pace. " _Alright that didn't work."_ I charged again, but aimed for the neck instead. That seemed to do the trick with the risen falling back, lacking a head.

I didn't get much time to celebrate my success before I heard a scream and saw a risen standing over Lissa blade raised. I quickly ran forward, but she was too far away for me to catch up. _"I need a distraction"_ I pulled out a dagger and tossed it into the risen's back. It only glanced up at me for a mere moment, before turning back towards Lissa and swung down.

The blade looked like it was falling in slow motion before I suddenly saw a blue blur move itself between the risen and Lissa, a resounding clash of metal echoing through the clearing. " _It looks like Lucina made it here in time."_ It looked like Chrom was able to come to Lucina's assistance and they defeated the risen by the time I reached them.

"Glad to see you guys are safe. I was caught off guard by how resilient these monsters were." Chrom nodded, probably having had a similar experience.

Lucina seemed content to just stand to the side, looking at Chrom before glancing at me. Although her face was hidden behind the mask, it felt like she was glaring at me.

 _That can't be good, she seems to be a bit wary of me for some reason…_

"Terry are you alright?" I heard a shout in the distance and saw Robin running towards me. Looking behind her, I saw Frederick arriving soon after.

"Yeah, I'm fine, these guys were a little tougher than I thought." I muttered, pointing towards the decomposing body of the risen next to us. "Fortunately, it looked like we had some help from the boy wonder over there."

"Who are you talking about Terry?" Robin seemed confused. I turned around and noticed there was only an empty spot where Lucina was standing previously.

 _She certainly likes to make a hasty exit, doesn't she?_

"Uhh, I guess he left already, but we should probably worry about the chance of dealing with any more of these monsters around us."

"Yeah, Terry is right. We have to clear the forest of these strange beasts." Chrom started moving deeper into the forest with Frederick and Lissa following close behind.

Walking up behind them I noticed that there were many risen moving around in the forest. Definitely a lot more than what we could probably handle normally. "So, any plan on how to deal with this group Robin?" She looked to be deep in thought before glancing around the forest.

"Yes…they outnumber us easily 10 to 1, we need to take advantage of the environment to cut down their numbers. Do you know anything that could be useful here Chrom?"

"Yes, there are some old forts that were made in the previous war, we can probably use those to possibly funnel these creatures."

"That should be good enough, we can probably split into groups and occupy these forts to deal with the risen. Let's have you, Lissa, and Frederick take the fort to the north while me and Terry can take the ones to the south." Robin explained her plan. Frederick seemed to approve of staying with his charges, but Chrom looked a little hesitant splitting up the group.

"Don't worry Chrom, I'm sure these monsters will have little chance of breaking past us. We should move quickly before they converge on us." I started making my way to the other fort with Robin in tow.

Once we were past the gates I moved over to Robin. "This is a good chance to work on your magic arts. I can hold the gate and support me from behind."

"Are you find holding the brunt of the force at the gate?"

"Yeah, I have a bit of experience dealing with multiple enemies at once. Just make sure none leak past me and watch my back." Looking over, I saw a few of the risen were already beginning to approach.

The first couple of risen to charge in tried to swing their swords in wide sweeping strikes. I sidestepped an axe aimed for my head and moved to block the sword moving towards me. There was a quick clash of metal, my teeth gritting at the force behind the risen's strike. I swung my blade up and removed the risen from the doorway before turning my attention to the axe wielder. Fortunately, it looked like I had nothing to worry about if the burning body of the risen next to me was any indication. _Glad Robin is still as good a shot as before. The strength of these risen are definitely abnormal. It felt like I was blocking one of Garrick's strikes for a second there._

I didn't have much time to think before the next group of risen came at us. Although their numbers were high, the coordination of the risen were pretty abysmal, and the bodies began to stack up along the entrance of the fort. However, the wave of risen seemed to be never-ending, throwing body after body at us.

 _We need to do something soon, it is tough to keep going like this without a healer. I can feel myself getting tired and it looks like Robin is beginning to lose focus as well..._

Glancing behind me, I can see Robin trying to focus her magic, but she looked a little dazed. Her strikes no longer being lethal hits, but only minor annoyances to the risen. "Robin, we probably need to escape and regroup if we want to get out of this alive." Without a healer we are only fighting ourselves into a corner here."

"Do you have any suggestions Terry? If you haven't noticed, there is only one entrance into the fort and a bunch of monsters who would be happy to kill us on the other side."

"I know it sounds a little risky here, but we are probably going to have to push back into them and escape that way. As long as we don't get encircled, we can at least run and hopefully meet up with Chrom and the others."

"Terry, you and I both know that plan sounds terrible."

"I'm open to suggestions if you have any." Robin gritted her teeth, but nodded, knowing we were in a tight spot. "Alright, I'll follow your lead then."

I nodded to her and began to charge forward out of the entryway. Cutting my way through, I looked around and saw that there were still a decent number of risen moving towards the fort.

"Move ahead Robin, I'll watch our backs." We began to run north towards where the first fort was supposed to be. However, the risen were quick to follow us.

 _I don't remember the fort being this far away or maybe we are just a lot slower._ I could feel exhaustion creeping up on me and saw Robin was beginning to slow down as well. "Robin, this isn't going to work. You go on ahead"

"What do you mean?"

"I can see that you're getting tired, these monsters will definitely catch up at this rate. I can hold them back for a bit so you can reach Chrom and get back here." Robin looked like I just asked her to kill me herself.

"Look, you are the tactician of the shepherds now, I know for sure you will have an important role in the future. I am just a mercenary. People like me are a dime a dozen. It's best that at least one of us gets out alive rather than both of us dying here." Robin simply stood there before turning around. She only shook her head, looking at the ground. I walked up to her before ruffling her hair.

"Go." Robin slowly nodded before running ahead into the forest line. _Good girl. As long as Robin lives, the story will go as intended._ I turned around and saw the risen breaking through the tree line.

The first to reach me looked to be an axe wielder. It charged in with heavy blows aimed center mass. Scoffing, I dodged to the side and brought my blades up, dismembering one of the risen. He could only look on in confusion before I spun around and tore my blades into its side, tearing the body in two. I didn't get much reprieve before a pair of risen were already on me, aiming to take my head off. I barely knocked away the blade of one of them before having to roll away from the second. Running in, I swung at the legs of one of the risen, toppling it over and quickly ending it life. The other risen roared at me before charging forward with a heavy overhead blow. I took a step forward into the risen's stance with my short sword held upwards, knocking aside the blow and leaving him wide open with its head flying a moment later.

 _Easy enough…just have to hold on a bit longer._

I was broken out of my thoughts when I felt something approaching me fast. I ran and dodged to the side before a heavy noise impacted where I was just standing. Looking over, I saw what looked like a risen holding an oversized axe, but it was much larger than the previous risen I have encountered. It definitely looked like this was a risen chieftain, if it's size was anything to go by. I prepared myself before it ran over to me again, raising a large axe and bringing it down on my head.

 _Fast!_ I sidestepped the blow and slashed into the risen's side, but could only gape as the sword barely cut into it. It bent its head towards me, as if mocking me, before swatting me aside.

"Damn…what is this bastards skin made of?" Looking at my swords, I saw there was a slight chip in the blade. I don't recall the game mentioning risen chieftain being this powerful. I didn't have much time to think though before the chieftain was on me, bringing its blade again.

 _I can't take a hit from this guy!_ I dodged again and aimed at his wrist this time. That seemed to do the trick, my blade cutting a bit deeper and making him drop the axe. The risen groaned and swiped at me. I quickly stepped back before moving in again, this time aiming for a blow to the neck. I was rewarded with the sound of my blade cutting into flesh, but then I heard a sharp cracking noise and saw my blade snap in two right in front of me.

 _You got to be kidding me…_

The chieftain stared at me with my broken blade still in his neck and slashed at me with its hands. I couldn't do anything except roll away from the strike, hitting a tree in the process. I coughed a bit before glancing down and seeing 3 angry lines cut into the side of my body.

 _Shit I am losing blood fast. I need to kill this guy now!_ Looking back at the chieftain, I stood up quickly and prepared myself. It looked like that previous blow did seem to have an effect since it was moving quite a bit slower compared to before. Taking the short sword in my hand, I tightened my focus before kicking off the tree behind me and jumping into risen's guard before it could even swing. It seemed caught off guard and that gave me enough time to swing my sword for the same neck strike. This time, I was successful, with the blade cutting in the ripping through the chieftain's neck. The body took a few steps back before dropping and dispersing into miasma.

I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing I got rid of the immediate threat at the very least. _That was close, I need to patch these wounds and regroup before things get bad._ I was broken out of my thoughts by a sharp pain in my shoulder and saw an arrow shaft sticking out. _What!?_ Suddenly my whole body shook, and it suddenly became hard to breathe. Looking down, I saw a blade sticking out of my chest and the smell of rotting flesh behind me. _Shit, I must have missed them…_

The risen ripped the blade out of my chest and I stumbled forward, turning around before hitting something and slumping forward. I tried to hold up my blade, but I could barely even lift my arms. Staring up at the risen, it looked like it was sneering at me before shuffling forward and raising up its blade.

 _So this is how I die, in some godforsaken forest against a random risen._

My vision began to blur from the blood loss and I heard the familiar sound of sword cutting through air, but instead of feeling the blade in my chest, a loud clang resounded through the forest. Looking up again, I saw a blue blur blocking the blow aimed at me before knocking it aside and killing the risen.

 _So she came in time after all…_ I could only chuckle before the world grew dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**Robin POV**

My vision started to blur as I ran towards the general direction of Chrom's fort. My legs felt like lead, but I couldn't waste time as long as Terry was still in danger.

 _This is ridiculous! I should not have listened to that plan. I should have stayed. I should have…_

Breaking past the tree line, the fort was looming ahead in the distance, but there didn't seem to be any more sounds of combat.

"Robin! Are you alright!?" I heard a voice yell out in the distance before seeing Chrom leaving the fort along with Frederick, Lissa, and what looked like two other soldiers. Rushing over to meet them I tried to explain the situation, but began coughing from the lack of oxygen.

"Easy, you're safe now. Where is Terry? I would have expected him to be with you?" Chrom seemed puzzled and even Lissa was glancing behind me to see if someone was going to pop out of the forest.

"Chrom, we have to head back! Terry stayed behind to hold off those monsters." I gasped, trying to catch my breath. Looking up towards Chrom I can see his gaze harden before he turned back towards the group.

"Frederick, you go on ahead! Sully, can you follow Frederick and take Robin with you?"

"Alright Captain. Get up here girl, we can't be wasting time if there are more of those freaks to take care of!" The aforementioned soldier yelled before pulling me up onto her horse.

I yelped in surprise at the sudden movement. This lady was way stronger than she looked! Sully quickly brought her horse around and charged ahead back into the forest line. Leaving Chrom and company behind as they followed after us.

"So your name is Robin huh. Me and ruffles came just in time to help out the captain, but he did mention that a tactician and her father were split at another fort."

"Ruffles?" It seemed like a strange name. Perhaps she was referring to that other soldier. He was definitely wearing some flowery clothing.

"Yeah, he came out of nowhere and was spewing some random stuff about his archery skills or something. He is a good shot, so he is good for something at least." Sully chuckled while shaking her head.

I stayed silent, mulling over what she said. That must be why it was so quiet. Sully and this Ruffles guy must have helped Chrom clear out the monsters surrounding his fort. Looking ahead I could see Frederick's horse slowing down and we soon broke into another clearing.

"Why are we stopping here sir?" Sully slowly moved up behind Frederick and glanced around the area.

"It looks like there were signs of combat. Look, there are a few of those creature's bodies decomposing here." Frederick pointed towards what looked like one of the bodies, it was killed in one blow if its two halves were anything to go by. There was also a hulking mass that looked like one of the monsters as well, but it looked like it was missing it's head.

"He must have been fighting here, but where is he…?"

"Robin, were you able to find anything?" I turned around and saw Chrom behind me. He glanced at the slowly decomposing body of the giant creature before heading over to the other bodies.

"Whew, whoever took this guy out must have been vicious. This Terry guy sounds like he would be fun to fight against." Sully exclaimed before getting off her horse to take a closer look.

"Yes, this looks like that mercenary's work, but something doesn't seem right here milord."

"I agree, look at this tree here, it looks like something hit it. There seem to be some blood around it as well. If it was Terry who hit this, it must have been a strong blow." Chrom seemed confused by the situation before glancing at the huge body close by.

"Captain, I found something!" Sully pointed towards the neck of the decapitated creature. Walking over, Chrom took a glance before looking over to me and waving me over.

"This doesn't look good Robin. Take a look at this." I walked up behind Chrom and looked at the cut. I saw a lot of dark ooze pouring out of the wound, but then saw a glint of silver. I slowly reached out and grabbed it before pulling hard. Holding it up, it was a piece of a broken blade, with the moon reflecting off of the blade, there was no mistake who it belonged to.

" _Those blades you have seem quite interesting Terry. I thought they were steel swords at first, but they looked to be much stronger than that." Chrom looked interested in the blades Terry was cleaning._

" _Yeah, these swords were forged with a type of metal called tungsten." Holding the blades up, they seemed to have a bright sheen against the moonlight._

"There is no mistaking it, this blade belonged to him, so he must have surely been the one to defeat this creature, but his body is nowhere to be found…"

"Yes milord, after investigating the area, there were no signs of a body and all that was found was the puddle of blood by this tree earlier, but no trail showing that he moved from that spot." Frederick seemed puzzled at this situation, unsure of what to make of it.

"Chrom…you don't think those monsters took him do you?" Even Lissa seem subdued at the prospect, none of the energy she usually had was present.

Chrom's gaze moved over towards me, but I could only stare blankly at the blade. Even if it was only a piece of it, the blade felt much heavier than it looked.

" _Robin, before I teach you swordplay, hold this blade for me. You need to understand the weight of this weapon."_

" _Weight? This sword seems pretty easy to swing around father."_

" _Hm, its not quite the weight that you may be thinking. Whenever someone holds up a blade or weapon, not only is it used for self-defense, but it also shows the wielder's intention to end the life of another. When you learn how to wield a blade, you have to understand that the weight of a person's life is hanging onto that very sword."_

" _The weight of human life…" Looking at the sword, it felt much heavier now._

" _These swords are unbearingly heavy, but I do have something that helps lighten the load."_

" _What's that?"_

 _He glanced at me before ruffling my hair. "Maybe I'll tell you when you're older."_

" _Hey!"_

"The weight of a blade…" I could feel tears stinging my eyes and tried to rub them out, but they kept coming. A hand clasped onto my shoulder with Chrom looking at me.

"Don't worry Robin, we'll find him." His stance was strong, but his gaze seemed to waver at the possibility of Terry's death.

"Milord, I understand your concern, but we cannot spend anymore time searching for this mercenary. We have combed the area and there doesn't seem to a trace of him anywhere. We have to make haste to Ylisse to report this calamity."

"Aren't you being harsh Frederick, although his time was short, Terry was still a Shepard. We can't leave him behind if there is even a chance that he is alive."

"Sorry captain, but I am going to have to agree with Freddy on this one." If this guys body is somewhere, its probably not in a place that we can find in good time." Sully rubbed her head, not sure what to make of the situation.

"Urgh..Damn it!" Chrom slammed his fist into a tree. He sighed before turning back towards me. "I am sorry Robin, but Frederick is right, we have to make our way to Ylisse. I assure you we will send parties out to find him once we reach the capital."

I could only stare down and nod, not trusting the words that might come.

"Alright let's move." Chrom and the Shepard's began to move ahead with me following soon after. Staring at the blade in my hand, it only felt heavier than ever before.

 **Lucina POV**

Watching father leave, I truly wanted to go down there and meet them, but with the current circumstances it would be too suspicious. Perhaps in the future where I can warn them of the impending danger.

Making my way through the forest, there was a small hill overlooking a river. Glancing around, nothing has seemed to have changed since I left for that small period of time. Propped up and currently unconscious against the hill was Terry.

"I'm glad that you're still safe." I was worried that he would bleed out from the wounds on his body. It was fortunate that he had a few concoctions to close up the wounds from the earlier battle. Looking at him, memories of a time long past came to mind.

" _Lucina."_

 _Glancing up, I saw a tall figure standing at the entrance to the castle. There was a hood covering his head, so I couldn't see him very clearly. From the way the guards were stepping to the side, he must have been important. He wore some light armor on his arms and legs and had a simple chest guard, but there was a symbol of Naga on his armlets and he seemed to be carrying a bundle._

 _Pulling down his hood, a head of graying hair appeared along with old, but sharp eyes looking at me. He slowly moved forward to me, but I could only stare. "This might be one of the first times we met little miss, but I am a friend of your Father, a Shepard._

 _I was amazed, the Shepards were known across the land as being some of the strongest fighters in Ylisse! Looking at him again, I saw that he looked to be carrying two blades to his side._

" _Do you know why I am here Lucina?" He looked at me in question, but I did not have any idea what his purpose was. Shaking my head, he only knelt down and slowly opened the bundle in his arms. Inside was something that I was familiar with, but I always saw it at the side of only one person, my father._

 _Sensing my confusion, the man's gaze softened. "Your father and the Shepards were on a key mission, but we underestimated who we were up against. He told me that if anything happened to him and your mother, that I bring this back to Ylisse."_

" _So where are they? Where is mother and father?"_

 _The man could only look away. "I am sorry Lucina."_

 _Tears welled up in my eyes. If what this man was saying is true, then father is…_

 _I felt a presence and felt a hand on my head. Glancing up, I saw the man looking down with a mournful look on his face and he wiped my eyes. Standing up he took the Falchion and walked up to the throne before stabbing the blade into the ground. It stood resolute as people stared, confused at what the man was doing._

 _I mourn for the loss of people who I would call my closest family here, but I cannot ignore the impending future. I will teach you what you will need to survive Lucina and once you are ready, you can take the Falchion for yourself. It is the least I can do in your parent's memory. Walking back to me, he ruffled my hair. I could only glare at him before he started laughing._

" _You know, your mother used to make the same face."_

" _Who are you anyway?"_

 _The man sat in thought for a minute before answering. "My name is Terry, just a lowly mercenary turned Shepard._

At the time, I was confused by what he said. He called himself a mercenary, but I heard tales of his speed and precision in battle, favoring technique over brute force. Growing up, he taught me the basic skills in order to take care of myself and also how to lead. Unfortunately, I could never really pick up his fighting style, but he was able to teach me the basics and the Royal Ylissean sword art of my father that he learned from memory.

Although my father was lost in the battle against the fell dragon, Terry was happy to take the role of a father figure in those troubling times. Being able to travel back to this time with the grace of Naga was truly a blessing. With the help of the others, we can divert the future brought by Grima and save our families. Glancing back at Terry, I could only think about the last time I saw him before coming to this time.

" _Lucina we need to retreat!" Owain struck out against one of the risen before taking a few steps back. The situation seemed dire. The number of risen were continuing the rise. More and more people were beginning to fall against the unending tide of the undead._

" _Owain is correct, escape is our best option at this moment." Laurent seemed to be in agreement. Although he seemed fine, the beads of sweat slowly dropping from his forehead spoke volumes to the amount of concentration he was doing keeping the Risen at bay._

 _Looking around, there seemed to be risen everywhere, I wasn't sure how we would be able to break through._

" _Leave it to me." I heard a voice to my side before seeing multiple risen be cleaved in two. Standing behind them was Terry, standing resolute against the horde of risen. "We have to make it to Mount Prism if we want any chance of succeeding with the awakening."_

 _I nodded in determination and called over our allies to follow quickly. As we charged forward, seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours. However, Terry seemed relentless in his assault on the risen. However, even I could tell that he was beginning to tire._

" _These risen are persistent…" Terry muttered. Looking ahead, the mountain was visible in the distance, but a horde of risen were still pursuing us. The chances of making it before we were overtaken seemed slim at best. As if sensing my inner turmoil, Terry moved up to me._

" _Don't worry so much Lucina, once we get close to the mountain I'll think of something." I appreciate his vain attempt at making light of the situation. It was comforting, but even I could tell that the odds were set against us._

" _Trust me." His confidence was surprising, but I couldn't help but believe him. He has not led us astray so far in our war against the risen. Turning back and running ahead, I heard him say something as he repositioned himself behind us._

" _So this is my place…" I glanced back at him, but he only seemed to smile at my stare._

 _Eventually we saw the mountain in the distance. Climbing up, I felt our goal in our grasp. "So Terry, what is this plan that you…have?" Looking around the mercenary seemed to be missing. Where did he go?_

" _Lucina! Down there!" Looking back the way we came, I could only freeze, seeing Terry standing at the base of the mountain alone. I remember screaming out to him, but he only turned his head upwards before shaking his head and drawing his blades. This was his plan!?_

" _We can't waste anymore time Lucina! Don't let his life be wasted." I felt someone pulling me ahead, but I could only stare before seeing the risen reach the mercenary. His blades shined, tearing through armor and flesh alike. The bodies of risen began to quickly pile around him, but for each one he struck down, two more took their place. Before reaching the peak, I had believed it possible that he would be able to hold them, but then I saw him flinch and then a stray arrow hit him in the arm, causing him to drop one of his blades. He tried to bring his other blade up in defense, but that small moment of weakness was all before he was run through by the risen._

 _All around me, I had felt the morale of the other children drop drastically seeing one of the final Shepards fall to the risen. Maybe it was not surprising that we continued on to have fail the awakening. Not only were we not able to retrieve all the gemstones, but witnessing my mentor die so easily was too difficult a trial to overcome. It was only with the assistance of Naga that we were able to escape._

"With this new opportunity, maybe things can be different, but…" Looking over at Terry's body, it seemed that there were already changes being made to the timeline. In the future, the mercenary often spoke of his past battles. In particular, he recalled a time where due to his inexperience, he suffered a heavy injury against the risen. Although he was saved in the end, his wound never completely healed, and he was often hindered by it.

I had not planned on meddling with the timeline so early, but seeing him defenseless, I could not let the same fate happen once again. However, what happened afterwards was not something that I intended to do.

" _Why did I take him with me?"_

I should have left him in the care of Father and the Shepards, but instead after healing him, I took him here. It was a decision driven by impulse. Perhaps a desire to see a familiar face. However, I knew that my actions could have severe implications in the future.

" _I just hope I have not already made a mistake."_

* * *

 **Sorry, been getting tied up with work and schooling so wanted to get something out before things get too hectic again. As a consequence, the chapter is a bit shorter, but I will try to get back up to speed once time frees up for me.**


End file.
